Trends in the Female Longevity Advantage of Nineteenth-Century Birth Cohorts
Exploring the Role of Place and Fertility
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11204625 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jason M Fletcher (0000-0001-8843-0563, University of Wisconsin–Madison), Megan Topping (0000-0001-9611-742X, University of Wisconsin–Madison, corresponding author), Won-Tak Joo (0000-0002-9684-793X, University of Florida) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 422-443 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Science History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0145-5532 • E-ISSN: 1527-8034 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/ssh.2025.24 |
| OpenAlex | W4410175864 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 53 |
This article uses online genealogy data from the United States over the nineteenth century to estimate period and cohort-based sex differences in longevity. Following previous work, we find a longevity reversal in the mid-nineteenth century that expanded rapidly for at least a half-century. For measures of conditional survival past childbearing age, females enjoyed a longevity advantage for the whole century. Unlike most mortality databases of this period, genealogical data allow analysis of spatial patterns and the impacts of fertility on longevity. Our results suggest very limited evidence of spatial (state) variation in these patterns. We do, however, find evidence that the associations between fertility and longevity partially explain the trends
Demographic economics · Economics · Fertility · Longevity · Population · Sociology · Demography · Global Health Care Issues · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management · Medicine · Gerontology
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |